©picture alliance / GES/Marvin Ibo Güngör | Marvin Ibo Güngö
FIFA President Gianni Infantino secretly dreams of a World Cup with 64 participating nations in 2030. According to him, the possibility will be explored after the 2026 World Cup, but a decision has not yet been made.
Infantino told the Swiss news site Bluewin that expanding the World Cup from 32 to 48 countries was “100 percent” the right choice and that the new format is a huge success. He said the current format proves that smaller soccer nations should be given more opportunities on the biggest stage. He pointed out that teams from every continent scored goals and earned points, and that nine out of ten African teams advanced to the knockout stage. For this reason, Infantino believes a potential expansion to 64 teams should also be seriously considered. According to him, the World Cup should be organized “for the whole world,” not just for the traditional powerhouses. He believes that smaller countries given the opportunity to participate will have even greater incentives to continue developing.
Practical considerations
Exactly what a 64-team World Cup would look like is still unclear. A logical option would be to return to a classic group stage, but on a larger scale: 16 groups of four teams, followed by a knockout system with 32 teams. That could bring the total number of matches in the tournament to 128, a significant increase from the 104 matches in the 2026 World Cup.
South America, in particular, supports Infantino’s ambitious plan. CONMEBOL views the 2030 World Cup—which coincides with the tournament’s 100th anniversary—as a symbolic moment to admit more countries. The proposal was formally submitted in 2025 and has the support of, among others, the soccer associations of Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
But there is also opposition. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin previously called the idea a “bad idea,” and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also sees little merit in further expansion. Critics warn of an overcrowded schedule, less excitement in the group stage, and an additional burden on players, clubs, and host countries. Moreover, the 2030 World Cup is already set to be unique, with matches in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, plus three opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. A decision on expanding to 64 teams is not yet on the horizon; ultimately, the FIFA Council will have to vote on the matter.
©picture alliance / GES/Marvin Ibo Güngör | Marvin Ibo Güngö - Illustration of the 2022 World Cup trophy presentation.